Forthcoming legislation to be introduced in the State Senate will provide a framework for the Accessibility Advisory Board (AAB) to review the 2021 accessibility code and future editions of the accessibility code. The legislation addresses the October 2022 Commonwealth Court ruling, which resulted in no mechanism in the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act for reviewing and adopting the 2021 accessibility codes or any updates. Meaning without legislative action, the already outdated 2018 accessibility standards would persist.
AIA Pennsylvania supports charging the Accessibility Advisory Board (AAB) with the review of the latest accessibility provisions published by the International Code Council (ICC) in Chapter 11 of the International Building Code (IBC). We continue to advocate for the inclusion of the accessibility codes in the Uniform Construction Code, including a timeline that aligns with the Review and Advisory Council’s (RAC) code review and adoption cycle.